Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

Living in Oblivion

Play trailer Poster for Living in Oblivion R Released Mar 17, 1995 1h 31m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
86% Tomatometer 36 Reviews 87% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Independent film director Nick Reve (Steve Buscemi) is making his first feature. Everything that can go wrong does: the rebellious catering crew refuses to replace spoiled milk, his actors are flaky and getting an unspoiled take is nearly impossible. Tension between lead actress Nicole (Catherine Keener) and actor Chad (James LeGros), who have just slept together, contributes to the many problems on set. As money and time run out, Nick struggles to complete his film.
Watch on Peacock Stream Now

Where to Watch

Living in Oblivion

Living in Oblivion

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Living in Oblivion dives into the folly of filmmaking with a sharp satire that sends up indie cinema while working as an entertaining independent picture in its own right.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View All (36) Critics Reviews
Manohla Dargis Spin A ten-minute joke stretched to near exhaustion. Apr 18, 2022 Full Review Anthony Lane The New Yorker Slight but smart, and it doesn't overstay its welcome. Jan 10, 2022 Full Review Owen Gleiberman Entertainment Weekly A hip indie version of Truffaut's Day for Night, Living in Oblivion celebrates the very act of filmmaking as grand folly, a triumph of absurdist heroism. Rated: A- Sep 7, 2011 Full Review Quentin Crisp Christopher Street I cannot praise Living In Oblivion too highly, but I doubt that it will make fifty million dollars the moment it is shown. Apr 21, 2022 Full Review Cole Smithey ColeSmithey.com Tom DeCillo's hilarious comedy about the pain in the ass of independent filmmaking circa 1995 is a hoot. Rated: FOUR STARS Feb 27, 2022 Full Review Matt Brunson Creative Loafing The segment in which Nick (Steve Buscemi) attempts to film a dream sequence (not unlike the famous one from TV's Twin Peaks) featuring a dwarf named Tito (Peter Dinklage) is worth the rental/purchase price alone. Rated: 3/4 Nov 28, 2015 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (469) audience reviews
BowTangey M I had not heard of the film, and was wonderfully surprised by this quirky look at the nitty gritty of indie filmmaking. The cast is full of ringers, led by Steve Buscemi and Catherine Keener. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 11/22/24 Full Review Alejandro E Steve Buscemi en unos de sus papeles más notorios, aunque poco conocido. El lado ameno del cine independiente y las dificultades del mismo, desde la óptica del cine independiente. Puede que no sea del agrado de todos, pero vale la pena conocerla. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/08/24 Full Review nick s I'm not sure if the general public would warm to this film, but if you've ever directed a film crew you'll love it. Although it's a bit close to the bone. From banging the clapperboard in actors faces, self agrandising cast trying to upturn a scene, one thing after another ruining the take. There is another layer too, where the film style itself is a nod to film clichés and blunders. It's a lot of fun. And anything Steve Buscemi in it is worth watching... he's awesome. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/30/24 Full Review ed m Very funny satire of small time movie making. Buscemi rules! Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/23/24 Full Review K B Uhhhh what is this garbage? Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 03/05/24 Full Review dave s Moreso than probably any other movie, including Day for Night and 8 ½, Living in Oblivion allows the viewer an inside look at the filmmaking process. Nick Reve (Steve Buscemi) is a director working on a low-budget independent film where Murphy's Law seems to be the only law. While dealing with a pretentious cinematographer (Dermot Mulroney), a doltish leading man (James LeGros), and an angry dwarf (Peter Dinklage), Reve needs to figure out how to keep his senile mother (Rica Martens) off the set. Despite a gimmick (without giving away too much) that seems lazy, the cast seems to be having a ton of fun, there are some genuine laughs, and you might just learn a thing or two about how to make a movie. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Living in Oblivion

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

In the Soup 83% 76% In the Soup Watchlist Get Shorty 89% 70% Get Shorty Watchlist Friday 76% 91% Friday Watchlist Double Whammy 30% 30% Double Whammy Watchlist Box of Moonlight 61% 81% Box of Moonlight Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis Independent film director Nick Reve (Steve Buscemi) is making his first feature. Everything that can go wrong does: the rebellious catering crew refuses to replace spoiled milk, his actors are flaky and getting an unspoiled take is nearly impossible. Tension between lead actress Nicole (Catherine Keener) and actor Chad (James LeGros), who have just slept together, contributes to the many problems on set. As money and time run out, Nick struggles to complete his film.
Director
Tom DiCillo
Producer
Michael Griffiths, Marcus Viscidi
Screenwriter
Tom DiCillo
Distributor
Columbia Tristar, Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co
JDI Productions, Lemon Sky Productions
Rating
R
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 17, 1995, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 29, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$48.0K
Runtime
1h 31m
Most Popular at Home Now